George Mira Sr., the quarterback who turned Miami Hurricanes football into must-watch TV long before the national titles arrived, died Tuesday in Miami at age 83. “The Matador” leaves behind a legacy that every Canes fan still feels on fall Saturdays.
Born in Key West in 1942, Mira grew up as a Conch who turned sandlot bravado into stardom at Key West High. Miami coach Andy Gustafson landed him in 1960, and the program’s trajectory changed overnight. By 1961, Mira already directed the offense and pushed the Hurricanes into the Liberty Bowl, their first postseason appearance in 19 years.
Mira played from 1961 through 1963 and redefined what quarterback play could look like in Coral Gables. He fired baseball-style fastballs, ducked rushers with quick footwork and attacked the Orange Bowl grass. He earned consensus first-team All-America honors in 1962 and followed with another All-America season in 1963, when he led the nation in total offense.
A ’62 Gotham Bowl loss to Nebraska in the freezing Bronx still surfaces whenever old-school Canes fans trade stories. On a frigid field at Yankee Stadium, Mira threw for 321 yards, a school record at the time, and claimed MVP honors despite the two-point defeat. Those performances turned a small-island kid into a national star and landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s college preview issue in 1963.
In the program, his impact grew even larger. Miami retired his No. 10 jersey and placed him in the Ring of Honor, a permanent reminder that the run of Kelly, Kosar, Testaverde, Torretta and Dorsey started with a fearless playmaker from Key West. Many still call him the original face of Quarterback U, the first great in a line that still stretches into the Cam Ward and Carson Beck era.
The NFL came calling in 1964, when the San Francisco 49ers drafted Mira in the second round. He spent seven seasons in the league with the 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins, backing up Bob Griese for the 1971 Super Bowl team. He later played in the Canadian Football League and World Football League, where he won MVP honors in the 1974 World Bowl with the Birmingham Americans.
After football, Mira never drifted far from his roots. He ran restaurants and concessions in South Florida and Key West, including George Mira’s Pizza Huddle, which turned into a postgame hangout for families.
The Hurricanes mourn a legend, a two-time All-American, a Ring of Honor member and one of only five players with a retired jersey. A fan base fell in love with big-time Miami football because George Mira Sr. showed them what it could look like.
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